The Core

Lark awoke staring into the face of a complete stranger but, he was clearly a Palimean. He had the broad shoulders, strong jaw, fair complexion that was complimented by his dark hair and emerald eyes. Lark blinked and he smiled softly, showing off a dazzling smile. Many would describe this man, for he was clearly in his early twenties, as incredibly attractive.

“Morning,” he said to her, beaming. Many things went through Lark’s mind. She didn’t really know how to talk to people; she hadn't had much interaction with anyone but The Core. Awkwardly, she simply studied the man’s face while she contemplated telling him the truth of why she was here. Or, she could play the ‘if they don’t ask, you don’t tell’ card. After all, she was very good at keeping secrets.

“Um, Miss?” the man said, breaking her from her deep thoughts.

“Hmm?” She finally said, raising a brow and slowly sitting up. Her dark chocolate locks fell from around her shoulders to drape down her bare back. Most of her clothes were stripped and she was left in nothing but underwear. She had cuts covering most of her body that blended in with her markings, making them seem like cuts themselves.

His cheeks were tinted pink and he casted his eyes away from her. “The woman left clothes over there,” he said, motioning to a chair. “I’ll let you get dressed.” He stood then, pushing himself away from the bed and leaving Lark to herself.

Carefully, she stood and walked slowly over to the chair. She slipped into the plain pale blue dress, black stockings, black corset and a black jacket. She turned the mirror and sighed. She didn’t look like herself, she looked weak and plain. She looked like a peasant, a worthless human. She had bags under her eyes, but the layers of dirt had been cleaned off of her along with the dried blood. She was thin and her hair had lost some of its silky shine.

No one would believe her if she looked so average. But, what would she say? That she just happened to be in the forest and she just happened to look nothing like them. She just happened to have these markings. Luckily for her, they were covered by the long sleeves.

She hovered by the door, her fingers lingering on the cold metal of the door knob. She bit her lip softly and sighed. What would she encounter when she opened the door? Dead bodies and the Advisors waiting to take her back to The Core or would it be questioning looks of innocent people about to die.

She hoped for the second one as she opened the door. Sitting on couches, made of wood and fur, were two older women, a small boy and two young men. They had all fallen silent as soon as she walked into the room. Obviously, they were attempting to keep secrets of their own.

“I would like to say thank you,” Lark muttered, rubbing her arms softly.

One woman stood slowly, rubbing a protruding stomach and motioning to her seat. “You should sit, child,” the pregnant woman said to her. Lark stifled her smirk for she wasn’t the one who needed to be seated. She healed quickly, a benefit of being an Advisor, and felt practically perfect again.

The man that was with Lark before stared silently at her, but the one next to him held her gaze. “So, you think you can dress her in our clothes and she’ll just become one of us?” He questioned, bitterly. “This is ludacris, Taylon. We should have left her in the-“

“Andor, that’s enough,” a woman spoke and he drew silent.

Lark bit her lip and stared around the room. She had always been surrounded by people who knew what she was capable of. She had never felt so alone and italmost scared her. The silence was hard to bare and she moved her eyes to the floor, uncomfortable under Andor’s glare. “I don’t know where to begin,” she said to them.

“Your name would do,” Andor said.

“Lark,” she replied. “But, I would like to be able to address you all,” she said, gently. She didn’t want to cross the line. She knew better than that for she was the outsider, the dangerous one here. She didn’t need to make enemies.

Andor motioned to the woman who had silenced him, “Helena, my mother, and the younger one is Tyrion.” The little boy with sandy blonde hair looked up at her and smiled with pure innocence. Andor then motioned to the pregnant woman, “That’s Rhiana. She’s the mother of this man, the one you owe your life to, Taylon.”

Taylon grew stiff at the mention of his name, he clenched his jaw and his grip tightened on the back of the couch. He obviously didn’t think the way Andor had gone about things was exactly appropriate. “Well,” Lark began, “I suppose I am in your debt, indeed. However, I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not imposing. It was our pleasure,” Rhiana said, lowering herself onto the couch.

Andor scoffed and locked eyes with Lark once more. “I want to know where you came from. Who are you? Why were you in the woods? Why are you here at all? What can we do for you or you for us? I want to know if we should have let you die or should we take you to the elders. I want to know if we should actually risk our necks for this stranger.”

“Andor,” Taylon said with a stern voice. “Give her some room to breathe! You jumping down her throat, as if she’s some wild animal, isn’t going to get answers, it’s just going to scare her!” His voice had risen from a tense murmur to yell. He closed his eyes and heaved a heavy breath. Andor remained silent and the whole room followed suit. One could hear the snow falling outside.

Although Lark was grateful for Taylon to step in, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at Andor. If only he knew who she was, what she knew. She shouldn’t have to deal with this, she was an Advisor! She was born to control the states with the others, to hold the secrets of the world on her shoulders. She deserved better than this, but they had no idea. She had no right to hold that against them.

“He has a point, Andor,” Rhiana chimed in. “Although, he didn’t have to scream to get it across.” She casted Taylon a look before continuing, “The girl just woke up, in a foreign place no less. Give her a chance to adjust.”

He rolled his eyes and began pacing. “You’re all mad! She isn’t going to adjust! Look at her! She isn’t from here! So what is she!? Are you all so blind? Are you really going to risk your lives for her? Or what, are you going to keep her here, in hiding? If you’re all into respecting her, then you surely can’t keep her like some little pet.”

Lark had done her best to remain composed as this small family bantered between each other. Yet, she couldn’t stifle the remark that spilled out of her lips. “I’m right here, you know, and fully capable of speaking for myself. Thank you, but I’m not a child,” she said, mainly directing her comment at Andor. “I will answer any questions you ask. I warn you, though; you may not like my answers.”

Andor turned sharply, glaring at Lark. He practically growled at her. Apparently, Zorac was right about one thing, some humans were savages. “Might not like the answers, my ass,” he huffed, “You may not like the questions.”

She raised a brow and smirked, leveling her eyes with his chocolate brown ones. “Try me,” she challenged. His frown deepened with her comment and his mother touched his hand softly, in a pathetic attempt to calm him. “Or, are you too scared?” Lark asked, smirking again.

Andor stood slowly from his hunched position over the kitchen counter. He turned to her and crossed his arms, looming over his family protectively. “Who are you?” He finally asked. It was the question she had been hoping to avoid. What was she going to say? If she lied, and they found out later, they’d never trust her. If she told them the truth, they’d never believe it.

“My name is Lark, as you know, but I’m usually referred to as Secrets. I carry the Secrets of Palimea,” Lark said. She wouldn’t dare get into the business of the rest of the world. “The Advisors is run by a God, I suppose, named Zorac.” She stopped, studying their faces. “As you know, Palimea is very advanced when it comes to military techniques and weapons. To put it simply, Zorac doesn’t like that. You are to be destroyed. I couldn’t let that happen,” she ended, dropping her head as she awaited the laughter.

Rhiana spoke first, “Poor child, still woozy from the medicine. I recognize those stories, I told them quite often to Andor and Taylon. Your mother must have told them to you.” Rhiana stood and grabbed Lark’s elbow. “Come, sweetie, you just need more sleep. We can talk more once you feel better,” Rhiana continued, pulling Lark back into the bedroom.

Before long, Lark was left alone on a cot in the sleeping room. She was given one thin blanket to wrap around herself and a stiff pillow to lay her head on. Outside the room was a murmur of voices. Lark tiptoed over to the door and pressed her ear against the thin wood.

“Rhiana, you can’t really believe her, right?” Helena said.

“I saw her arms, Helena. They were the markings, just like in the stories. Blood red, I scrubbed and scrubbed, thinking they were blood, but they didn’t come off. What else could it be?” Rhiana said, her voice shaking a little.

Helena huffed, “Rhiana, this is ridiculous. Those are just stories, nothing more. The boys will be back with dinner soon and we’ll make a decision from there,” Helena said rationally.
“Trust me, Rhiana, they’re only stories.”

“Are they?” Rhiana answered and the two women drew quiet.